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Kunzite is famous for its strong pleochroism, showing lighter and more intense coloring when viewed at different angles. It will display intense color variations and color difference when viewed from the top and bottom. It can even display multiple colors or appear colorless.

Kunzite is trichroic, which means that three colors can be viewed from differing angles: pink, clear and violet. Sometimes the color change is limited to shade changes, such as from pale pink to dark pink.

However, when speaking of color changing gemstones, the ability to change color depends on the type of light. A gemstone might look green in sunlight, but red in incandescent lighting. Not quite the same thing, as pleochroism, which involves the same light, but different angles.